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WoRCS in the 10th World Sponge Conference (Galway, Ireland)
Added on 2018-09-17 17:53:55 by Gerovasileiou, Vasilis
World Register of marine Cave Species (WoRCS): a tool for evaluating sponge diversity in marine caves and anchialine systems of the worldGerovasileiou V, Martínez A, Becking LE, Muricy G, Álvarez F, Boxshall G, Humphreys WF, Jaume D, van Hengstum PJ, Yamasaki H, Boury-Esnault N, Perez T, Voultsiadou E, Dekeyzer S, Decock W, Vanhoorne B, Vandepitte L, Bailly N, Iliffe TM (2017) World Register of marine Cave Species (WoRCS): a tool for evaluating sponge diversity in marine caves and anchialine systems of the world. Book of Abstracts of the 10th World Sponge Conference, p. 215.
As reservoirs of sponge diversity, marine caves have attracted the interest of sponge researchers from around the world at an early stage. The need to compile all the existing largely scattered information on the sponge diversity of this unique ecosystem has been recently recognized and some regional overviews came out. The World Register of marine Cave Species – WoRCS (www.marinespecies.org/worcs), a Thematic Species Database of the World Register of Marine Species – WoRMS, offers a valuable resource for an integrated approach to this issue. The aim of WoRCS is to create a comprehensive taxonomic and ecological database of species known from marine caves and anchialine environments worldwide. Within this thematic database, the cave-related information is managed by the WoRCS thematic editors in collaboration with the taxonomic editors of WoRMS, who manage the taxonomic content. The database is an online open source and includes information on the biology, ecology, and distribution of all species. Data on sponge distribution in marine caves are linked to the Gazetteer of the Marine and Anchialine Systems of the World, which is part of the Marine Regions information system and includes geographical and geological information for all study areas. Currently, the database includes 1629 species belonging to 19 phyla as well as 573 relevant literature sources. With 423 accepted species, Porifera is the richest in species phylum of sessile metazoans in the database, covering 26% of the existing records. Demosponges predominate with 365 species, followed by 33 calcareans, 24 homoscleromorphs and 1 hexactinellid. In their attempt to catalogue the world sponge diversity in marine caves, the WoRCS thematic editors and collaborators have initiated an exhaustive overview of all sources, including unpublished data from their expeditions. Herein the followed methodology, available sources and tools along with preliminary results of this initiative are presented. The main goal of this initiative is to describe distribution patterns in this fragmented ecosystem, to highlight unique elements of sponge diversity and provide a baseline for future conservation actions.
As reservoirs of sponge diversity, marine caves have attracted the interest of sponge researchers from around the world at an early stage. The need to compile all the existing largely scattered information on the sponge diversity of this unique ecosystem has been recently recognized and some regional overviews came out. The World Register of marine Cave Species – WoRCS (www.marinespecies.org/worcs), a Thematic Species Database of the World Register of Marine Species – WoRMS, offers a valuable resource for an integrated approach to this issue. The aim of WoRCS is to create a comprehensive taxonomic and ecological database of species known from marine caves and anchialine environments worldwide. Within this thematic database, the cave-related information is managed by the WoRCS thematic editors in collaboration with the taxonomic editors of WoRMS, who manage the taxonomic content. The database is an online open source and includes information on the biology, ecology, and distribution of all species. Data on sponge distribution in marine caves are linked to the Gazetteer of the Marine and Anchialine Systems of the World, which is part of the Marine Regions information system and includes geographical and geological information for all study areas. Currently, the database includes 1629 species belonging to 19 phyla as well as 573 relevant literature sources. With 423 accepted species, Porifera is the richest in species phylum of sessile metazoans in the database, covering 26% of the existing records. Demosponges predominate with 365 species, followed by 33 calcareans, 24 homoscleromorphs and 1 hexactinellid. In their attempt to catalogue the world sponge diversity in marine caves, the WoRCS thematic editors and collaborators have initiated an exhaustive overview of all sources, including unpublished data from their expeditions. Herein the followed methodology, available sources and tools along with preliminary results of this initiative are presented. The main goal of this initiative is to describe distribution patterns in this fragmented ecosystem, to highlight unique elements of sponge diversity and provide a baseline for future conservation actions.
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